Abstract

In this paper, analytical attitude propagators for spin-stabilized satellites are analyzed. For this purpose, external torques are introduced in the motion equations such as solar radiation pressure torque, aerodynamic torque, gravity gradient torque, and magnetic residual and eddy current torques. For the magnetic torques, it used both the dipole and quadripole Earth’s magnetic field models. The obtained analytical solution is applied and compared with actual data for Brazilian data collection satellites SCD1 and SCD2. The results, when a daily data update is applied, based on the INPE-Brazilian Institute for Space Research supplied data, show a good agreement of all involved parameters with the actual deviations in the parameter values within the precision required for the satellite mission. This permits to conclude that the used theory is suitable for the studied problem. Thus, the propagators presented in this work can be applied to predict the rotational motion of spin-stabilized artificial satellites, particularly for SCD1 and SCD2 satellites over the considered time period.

where µ (3.986 × 1014 m3/s2) is the Earth gravitational parameter, \( r^{{{\prime } }} \) is the satellite geocentric distance, a11, a21, and a31 are the direction cosines which relate the orbital system and the satellite fixed system, Ix, Iy, and Iz are the Principal Moments of Inertia of the satellite and θ is the angle between the satellite principal axis of inertia x′ and the satellite axis x, defined in each instance by the product of the spin velocity W and the time t. The elements a11, a21, and a31 depend on the orbital elements (orbit inclination, true anomaly, longitude of the ascending node, and argument of the perigee), the angle θ, the right ascension, and declination of the spin axis (Zanardi et al. 2003).

To compute the mean components of each considered torque in the satellite system, an average time in the fast varying orbit element, the mean anomaly, is used. This approach involves several rotation matrices, which are dependent on the orbit elements, right ascension, and declination of the satellite spin axis. The GGT mean components are presented in Zanardi et al. (2003).

Aerodynamic torque model

For this paper is adopted the following model to represent the AT (Wertz 1978; Zanardi et al. 2011):

where mex, mey, mez and Dx, Dy, Dz are the components of the position vector between the center of pressure and the center of mass of the satellite and the drag force in a satellite system. In this paper, the influence of the lift force in the AT is neglected and

where ρ is the local density, v represents the magnitude of the satellite’s velocity relative to the atmosphere, S is a reference section area of the satellite, CD is the drag coefficient, \( \gamma_{S} \) is the angle between the position vector and the orbital velocity vector, and \( a \)ij, i = 1, 2, 3, j = 1, 2, are the direction cosines which relate the orbital system and the satellite system (Zanardi et al. 2011).

To estimate the influence of the AT magnitude in the rotational motion, in this paper, the thermosphere model TD-88 is used for the atmospheric density (Sehnal and Pospísilová 1988) and some simplifications are done. The velocity v is assumed equal to the orbit velocity; the drag coefficient is fixed (equal to 2.2). In the applications for the SDC1 and SCD2 and by the analyses development in Zanardi et al. (2011), it also assumed that \( m_{ex} = m_{ey } = 0 \) and \( m_{ez} = 0.1\;{\text{m}} \). Then in that case the z-component of AT is null. By the same way of the GGT, the AT mean components are presented by Zanardi et al. (2011).

Residual magnetic torque

The spacecraft’s magnetic moment is usually the dominant source between the disturbances torques. If \( \vec{m} \) is the magnetic moment of the spacecraft and \( \vec{B} \) is the geocentric magnetic field, the RMT is given by de Moraes and Zanardi (1999):

$$ \vec{N}_{\text{RM}} \, = \,\,\vec{m}\, \times \,\vec{B}\,. $$

Here the magnetic torque is developed only for a spin-stabilized satellite. In this case, the spacecraft’s spin velocity vector and the satellite magnetic moment are along z-axis and the RMT can be expressed in the satellite fixed system by Zanardi et al. (2005):

where Bx, By, and Bz are the components of the geomagnetic field in the satellite fixed system (Wertz 1978). These components are obtained in terms of the geocentric inertial components of the geomagnetic field and the attitude angles of the satellite. To describe the geomagnetic field, the dipole model and quadripole model (Garcia et al. 2009) are used.

The mean components of this torque are presented in Garcia et al. (2009) and Zanardi et al. (2005).

Eddy current torque

The torque induced by eddy currents is caused by the spacecraft spinning motion. It is known (Wertz 1978) that the eddy currents produce a torque which causes the precession in the spin axis and causes an exponential decay of the spin rate. If \( \vec{W} \) is the spacecraft’s spin velocity vector and p is a constant coefficient which depends on the spacecraft geometry and conductivity, this torque is given by Wertz (1978):

The mean components of this torque are presented in Zanardi et al. (2011).

Solar radiation torque

A solar radiation torque model was developed in de Moraes and Zanardi (1999) for the case which the illuminated surfaces of the satellite are a circular flat surface S1, and a portion of the cylindrical surface S2. It is given by:

where \( \bar{K} \) is a solar parameter with assumed value given by 1.01 × 1017 kgm/s2, as is Sun–Earth distance and here assume the value 1.49597870 × 1011 m, r′ is the satellite geocentric distance, R is the Sun satellite distance, βi, γi, i = 1, 2, are specular and total reflection coefficients, respectively, for each satellite surface (which assume constant values), a11, a12, and a13 are direction cosines which relate the Orbital System and the principal system, given in Motta et al. (2013) and Rx, Ry, and Rz give the Sun direction in the body and are obtained by:

with being b1, b2,…, b9 the direction cosines which relate the Equatorial System and satellite system (given in terms of satellite’s rotation angle, right ascension, and declination of the spin axis (Motta et al. 2013).

The Sun–satellite distance can be obtained by de Moraes and Zanardi (1999):